The Dragon's Deceit
by Gw3nhwyfar
Summary: Begins in Origins and goes through DA2. Eventual OC romance with Fenris. Gwenhwyfar is a Tevinter slave trying to find her place in Thedas...
1. Chapter 1

The sound of men shouting filled the air that, in turn, filled the sails, pushing the huge behemoth of a ship closer to Denerim. The elf sat with her legs dangling over the fore topgallant; watching as the first sight of land peeked over the horizon.

This was her favorite part; as much as she loved the feeling of the sea wind in her hair and the freedom that the ocean promised, there was nothing quite like slipping into a crowd of people who were completely oblivious of her and who she was. She could just disappear under a cloak and wander for hours, learning everything without being known.

"Gwenhwyfar!" She ignored the shout and continued to stare at the ever growing shore as her brother climbed toward her. "The captain's looking for you." He told her between heavy breaths. He wasn't as used to the physical exertion of climbing as she was; he rarely did any kind of 'work' and blamed it on the fact that he was a mage.

"I'm surprised you didn't just send Jack to look for me on his own." She raised an eyebrow at him and he leaned hard against the foremast, wanting to tell her off, but not having the breath to do it. "Can I go ashore?" She looked at him a little more respectfully, hoping that he would allow it.

"I don't know." He perched beside her, holding onto the mast for balance and looking down at the long drop below. "Denerim is a big city; I wouldn't want to lose you."

"You know that incident in Val Royeaux was an accident!" She pleaded defensively. "I never would have been captured on purpose!"

"I know. I know." He raked his fingers through his raven dark locks and she glanced down at her own snow white braid hanging over her shoulder. The only color left were the streaks of lavender and cobalt that somehow refused to assimilate.

"I promise I won't get into any trouble!" She said softly.

"You're still so young mea soror carissima dulcis…" He started to put his hand on her shoulder but she pushed him away and stood up, shrugging off his attempt to comfort her with half hearted Tevinter endearments.

"Of course Max, whatever you say my dear brother." She mocked him before jumping away from the boom and catching a bit of rigging to slide down to the deck. She was sure her brother meant well; he had, after all, given up unspeakable power to rescue her from the Tevinter Imperium, but she wondered sometimes if he still thought of her as a slave.

"Jenny!" The captain put his arm around her shoulder as she stepped in beside him. "There it is! Denerim!"

"The capital of Ferelden." She spouted off the only real fact she knew about the city.

"It is nothing so exciting as Val Royeaux and not nearly as entertaining as Llomerryn, but I am sure you will find something to fill your time when we go ashore." He cast a sideways glance her way. "Or someone."

"Max said I wasn't to go ashore." She told him despondently.

"What?" He sounded absolutely outraged.

"He just doesn't want me to get into trouble." She defended her brother, but the bitter resentment of his latest oppressive act still left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You are trouble, poppet." He tugged on her braid. "No matter where you go you're going to wind up stepping in it, like dog shite in Ferelden."

She scrunched up her nose at him. "Do I want to go then?"

He just laughed at her. "Ah, my young poppet! There are many things out there worth dodging mabari shit for."

"You aren't encouraging her, I hope." Max's voice rang over Jack's laughter as he walked towards where we stood at the bow.

"Young Max!" The captain waved him over. "Your sister tells me that you've forbidden her to into the city."

"She doesn't do well around so many people." He explained. "I think maybe when we sail to Gwaren…"

"But that could take months!" She groaned, turning to stalk away; but Jack caught her arm and swung her back around.

"I can watch her if you wish to be alone, Maximilian." He drawled and smiled contemptuously at the young elven mage.

"It isn't like that and you know it!" Max could feel the pulsing heat start to radiate from his palms as he took a menacing step closer toward the older man.

"Enough!" Gwenhwyfar stepped in between them and held her hands up, allowing the blue serpentine markings on her skin to show as they glowed bright in her anger.

Max grabbed her hands, letting the magic in his fall silent. "This is exactly what I am talking about!" He threw her hands back at her but he continued to speak softly, if not harshly. "You cannot stand even the slightest injustice, and any offense causes this." He gestured at her still glowing form.

"And why shouldn't I get angry?" She cried. "I didn't choose this! The only thing I can do is to help those who can't help themselves!"

"Says the girl who thieves for her supper!" Her brother called back, feeling his hands begin to burn again.

"I steal from those who can afford it!" They were standing nose to nose now, Gwenhwyfar lifting herself up on her toes so that she could glare at him face to face. "And don't talk like you don't steal right along with me! At least I don't offer myself as severance for what I take!"

"As if you wouldn't if you weren't afraid to let a man touch you." He said in that damned soft voice he used when he thought he won.

She couldn't stand it! He knew how much that hurt, where those wounds had come from and that they might never quite heal. She watched, almost as if it were someone else, as she phased her hand into his chest and grabbed onto whatever he held inside.

He gasped, but she let her hand linger there, deliberating with herself as to whether he needed any of the squishy parts she'd grabbed onto.

Finally, she let go and pulled her hand out. Max let out a whoosh of air as he stumbled back away from her. His sister had never resorted to physical violence against him and he was dumbfounded at how powerful she actually was; he doubted there was anything he could have done to stop her once she had her hand in his chest.

"Do not speak of it so lightly." She took a step closer to him as he moved uneasily backward. "You have no idea what it was like, what it is like, to be worth nothing!"

"No one here thinks that, poppet." Jack said softly as he put a hand on her shoulder. She turned on him with her skin still ablaze with blue light; he left his hand on her shoulder and looked steadily into her eyes. "I know you are worth something; more than any other lout on my crew, even."

The sincerity in his voice brought tears to her eyes and she calmed down, feeling herself stagger as the lyrium glow dimmed and took its strength with it. After a few breaths and a long silence she turned to Max and held out her hand, this time in reconciliation.

"Do not do that again." He told her as he took it.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Do not think that you can tell me what to do so easily anymore." She shook his hand once before turning and facing Denerim's port once again.

"It sounds like she's finally escaped slavery after all." Jack said as he walked off to start shouting orders at the rest of the crew, leaving Max to stare at his sister's back for a long moment before leaving her there on her own.

The port was bustling with the usual runners shipping cargo from one place to the next that you could see at any dock in Thedas. Jack pointed out several men he knew from past escapades and greeted them in turn, but Gwenhwyfar's attention was on the citadel that seemed to tower over the whole city.

"What is that?" She asked, nearly running into a porter in her awe.

"Sorry mate!" He muttered at the disgruntled man before turning his attention back to her. "That's Fort Drakon, poppet. Built by your people, I believe, back when all this was still a part of the Imperium."

"It feels…" She searched for the words, shivering in the bright sunlight. "Cold. Cold and dark. I don't like it."

"What's to like?" He pulled her out of the way of another cart and walked her over to a building that sounded as if it were bursting at the rafters. "It's a prison, and not the temporary kind. They only put you there if they want to forget about you, or so I hear." He put his arm around her shoulder and smiled again. "This, however, my little poppet, is somewhere I wouldn't mind being thrown into and forgotten."

"What is this place then, Jack?" She laughed at his enthusiasm as he led her through the door. She instantly realized that she needn't have asked.

"This, my girl, is the Pearl. The only place worth stopping at in Ferelden." He led her over to a table in one of the many dark corners and ordered a couple of drinks from the serving girl as she swayed by. "Might I interest you in some of their fine wares?" He gestured around the room at the men and women posing provocatively in their scanty bits of clothing.

Gwenhwyfar gulped in a few shallow breaths before looking back up at her friend. "You brought me to a…but…no!" Was all she could manage to say.

"Look, you're going to have to get over what's ailing you sooner or later, poppet." He said in an understanding, fatherly tone, despite the fact that there was nothing fatherly about what he was suggesting. "I just think you'd enjoy life a bit more if it were sooner." He ended with a big smile as the serving girl brought us our drinks.

"I don't want to pay for sex, Jack!" She sputtered incredulously.

"Well good, because I'm not charging." The sultry voice of a woman dripped over them like honey and Gwenhwyfar looked up to see a Rivaini with a body to fit standing right over her. She was dark, like all of her people, with most of what she had- and it was quite a bit- flowing out of her shirt, which happened to be the only thing she was wearing besides her knee high boots. "Hello Jack!" She smiled amiably.

"Ah, Isabella! It's good to see you." Jack waved for his friend to scoot over, but Isabella didn't wait and plopped herself right in the little elf's lap. "That is Gwenhwyfar, my right hand man, you're sitting on there." He chuckled as his mentioned 'man' turned bright red in the face. "I call her Jenny though; Gwenhwyfar's got too many syllables for my liking."

"Oh, you think so?" She turned to look at her. "I don't know, I think I'd have to give it a couple of go's to be sure. What do you say?" She asked, winking as she rubbed her bottom in circles around the elf's lap.

"I…ah…I don't think…"

"Little poppet here is a virgin." Jack grinned, enjoying everything about the scene unfolding in front of him.

"Hmm…" Isabella said thoughtfully. "I don't usually like virgins…but you…what are all of those tattoos?" She asked, looking her prey over as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to eat it or not.

"They aren't tattoos." Gwenhwyfar finally managed to say. "They're lyrium."

"Lyrium? Really? What do they do?"

"You don't want to know." She said dryly before depositing Isabella into the empty space on the bench beside her and getting up to leave. "I'll meet you back on the Deceit."

"Alright, poppet." Jack laughed with a shake of his head.

She opened the door to leave the brothel to find Max standing on the other side of it. They both flushed deep scarlet before Max's face contorted in a kind of surprised anger. "You didn't?"

"No! Maker no!" She stuttered, not that it mattered. If she wanted to pay to have strangers fondle her, she was free to do so. "I had a drink and just left Jack in there with a very overpowering Rivaini woman." She assured him. "You'd like her, I think."

"Just… just get out of here… all I want to do is unknow the fact that I ever saw you here." He said as he pushed his way past her.

"I know exactly what you mean." The door slammed behind her and she looked out at the people milling about. Pulling her hood over her head, she stepped out to join them; letting herself get lost in the crowd.

After about an hour, she found herself in the market district looking at a fine new lute to replace the weatherworn one she'd left on the ship. She had picked it up in Orlais, and even then it had seen better days, but the music helped to chase the pain away so she'd fallen in love with it.

She had just paid the merchant for the lute when yet another Rivaini caught her attention. 'What the bloody hell were all of these Rivaini doing in Ferelden?' She thought, slinking into the shadows to get a better look at him.

He was an older man, tall with the telltale dusky skin of Rivain; he had shaped his full beard to fit the squareness of his jaw and his long hair was pulled back into a neat queue at the nape of his neck. She could see from his trappings that he was a Gray Warden and someone high in rank if her intuition was worth anything. The thing about him that interested her the most, though, was the jangling of coins in the purse tied at his belt.

"Challenge accepted." She smiled to herself as she planned her next move. Using the darkness as a cover, she inched closer and closer until the pouch was just within her grasp when he turned around to call to someone else and almost toppled her over.

"I'm so sorry." He said as he steadied her. "I didn't see you there."

"Oh, no sir!" She took advantage of the fact that he seemed friendly. "I was just admiring your insignia. It isn't everyday you see a Grey Warden wandering through the streets."

He just laughed. "No, I guess it isn't." He looked over her shoulder at whoever he was going to say something to before and she took that moment to deftly relieve him of his heavy purse.

"Should I be afraid? Will an archdemon swoop down upon us any minute now?" She continued the line of conversation and he laughed again.

"I doubt you are in any immediate danger." He looked directly at her for the first time and his face betrayed his confusion. "Are you an apostate?"

"I'm sorry?" That was always the first assumption when people noticed her markings, that she must be a mage. Only mages dealt with lyrium right? Well, mages and templars… and she certainly wasn't a templar. "No sir, I am… I…" It was the first time that she'd faltered in conversation since Jack had trained her to steal; it wasn't a place she liked to be.

"Don't worry child, I'm not going to send you to the circle." His low steady voice calmed her down a little and she looked into his eyes once more.

"I'm not a mage." She said flatly. She could feel something else the longer they stood there talking. A darkness radiating from him; it was almost tangible, she could feel it scraping against her skin. If she wasn't careful, it would start to do a good deal more than that and she couldn't be in such a public place if it did.

"Of course." He said it as if it were fact. It was a fact, but most didn't believe her. There was no patronizing tone or stiffening as he looked for the nearest templar; he just looked into her eyes as if he was hoping to find something there.

She knew she should have just turned and walked away, but something she'd never felt before glued her to that spot beside him… what was that? A…sense of purpose?

She reluctantly held his purse up to him. "I believe you're missing about fifty sovereigns, twenty silvers and ninety one bits."

"Eighty three." He corrected, his eyebrows raised to his hairline; he didn't seem so much surprised as impressed, though.

"Are you sure?" She asked, weighing the bag in her palm. "Oh well it's yours, so the lack of coppers doesn't really affect me much, does it?"

"I didn't even feel you take it." Was all he said, still awed by her feat. "You have an amazing skill."

"Thieving?" She scoffed. "It keeps me alive, but it isn't something I usually show off."

"Well, I suppose it takes a thief to really appreciate your talent." He winked at her.

"They let criminals into the Grey Wardens? And here I thought you were someone important." She looked back over his trappings, wondering now if he had stolen them or something.

"Oh no." He laughed again as he shook his head. "No one important, I am only the Warden Commander here in Ferelden. It doesn't mean much."

"And you would allow me to join?" She asked hopefully, wondering if this was where her life had been leading all along; it certainly hadn't been an easy path.

"It isn't something you should choose lightly." He warned, but didn't look as if he was going to turn her away.

She looked him over, wondering if she could trust him with what she was about to say, but she figured that if a Gray Warden didn't understand then no one would. "I can feel the darkness on you." She said slowly. "I know where it comes from, I've felt it before."

"I thought you said you weren't a mage." He didn't sound shocked or accusing, but instead he leaned closer to her in interest.

"No. I'm not a mage." She shook her head. "I was a slave, just a slave, but my markings can sense the blackness in you. It gets stronger by the minute. It…it's like a song…calling for…something."

"A slave?" He asked, his voice turning harsh for the first time. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut. She knew she was worth less than dirt, but for a moment, only a moment, she thought that this Gray Warden actually respected her. "I thought slavery was banned everywhere but…"

"But the Tevinter Imperium?" She finished for him. "I said I was a slave. I escaped four years ago."

"Good." There was a look on his face that I couldn't quite fathom. "I prefer not to kill to get my point across." He would have killed her master in order to have her in his faction? "I would be honored if you joined our order."

"You…you would be h-honored?" No one but Jack had ever spoken to her like that, she couldn't quite grasp it.

"If you so choose." He amended. "Like I said before, it is no easy path."

"I would be honored." She bowed her head and he lifted it so she had to look him in the eyes.

"You are no longer a slave." He said gently. "You would do well to remember it."

She stared at him for a long moment before he looked behind her once more and a woman's voice, dripping with disappointment, squeaked, "Duncan?"


	2. Chapter 2

Gwenhwyfar turned around to see an elven woman with bright red hair she'd gathered in pieces standing before them.

Duncan smiled at his companion and said, "Ah Rainey! I believe we've found another elf to join the Grey Wardens." Another Gray Warden? Huh. This new elf wasn't even wearing armor.

"I see." Was all the woman said as she took her time looking Gwenhwyfar over. She could see her brows rise slightly as her eyes followed the lines of the lyrium marking her skin and a slight look of confusion when she glanced at her hair; people were always intrigued by the hair, it was the main reason she kept her head covered whenever she went out in public.

She started to feel uncomfortable under the woman's heavy scrutiny and decided to break the silence herself. "It's nice to meet you." She held her hand out in a gesture that was universally friendly everywhere in Thedas…well, not Par Vollen, but that was a whole different world. "Rainey was it?"

"It was." Rainey took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake as she smiled at the younger girl. "And still is." There was another awkward silence. Gwenhwyfar wasn't used to talking to people, not really. She could chat up most people she planned to steal from, but that was all an act, a script she'd learned while studying her prey; this was a completely new experience for her, and she felt disoriented being so far out of her element. "And your name is?" Rainey prompted.

"Gwenhwyfar. It's Gwenhwyfar. But you can call me Jenny. It's Gwenhwyfar, but it's Jenny. Did that make sense? I hope that makes sense." She knew she sounded ridiculous, but she didn't know how to stop.

"So, you go by Jenny then?" Rainey asked.

"Sometimes, you can call me whatever…" She answered, her brother never used anything but her full name and Jack called her whatever his whims dictated… and those were the only people she talked to, so there really was no hard and fast rule she could trust here.

"I'll call you Gwenhwyfar then…unless I have something I need to say in a hurry," Rainey told her with a wink.

"Well," Duncan broke in. "We are under orders to leave the city today. So if you're ready?" He looked down at me meaningfully. They had to leave today? Maker, Max wasn't going to like that! She could sneak out quietly, but then he would think someone had taken her by force and come find her, probably killing Duncan and Rainey in the process.

"Today? I don't think my brother is going to let me leave today," She muttered, disappointed in herself for still thinking of herself as property.

"And are you under orders to obey your brother?" Rainey asked, arching her eyebrow.

"Not exactly…" Damn her, she still felt loyalty to him. "I have to tell him. I've never disobeyed him before…"

There was a silence as that sank in for her companions; she must have sounded like an idiot from the way they were looking at her.

"I thought you weren't a slave anymore," Duncan finally said.

"You were a slave?" Rainey asked, there was concern and interest playing across her face. She was used to that as well; free elves always think they have it the worst until they have a real live slave standing in front of them.

"I was…not to him," She clarified awkwardly; she hadn't been forced to explain her circumstances since she'd landed in Par Vollen. The Qunari might unsettle most people with their austere mannerisms, but she would choose that over eager interrogations like this any day. "But I have to tell him nonetheless."

"Very well," Duncan agreed.

"And where is this brother of yours?" Rainey asked.

"The last I saw him, he was going into the Pearl," Gwenhwyfar felt her face heat up as she said it, of course that would be where he was when she had to find him with others in tow.

"Ah," Duncan said, a fond look of nostalgia spreading across his face. Men, go figure.

"Well…I'm going to assume that he's had time enough to enjoy what they're offering," Rainey turned on her heels, obviously knowing exactly where she was going. Maybe it wasn't a man thing after all.

It didn't take long for them to make the short trek to the Pearl and Jack noticed Gwenhwyfar the moment she stepped through the door. She returned his eager wave and proceeded toward him despite the fact that Max was sitting across from him with a lapful of Isabella. She tried not to think about it, but it was obvious that they were… ahem… on extremely friendly terms.

Her brother looked over to see who Jack had been waving at and promptly let his companion fall to the ground as he stood up anxiously. He had always demanded respect from her, had always expected it to come naturally, but they both knew that seeing him like that had brought him a little closer to the rest of Thedas in her eyes and he would probably never get back what he'd lost.

"This is why I don't like virgins," Isabella complained jovially from her spot on the floor. "They ruin everything!"

"Aww, don't listen to her my poppet!" Jack crooned at her, but Gwenhwyfar just stood there, quietly resenting the fact that, by the time she left, everyone in Denerim would probably know her sexual status… or lack thereof.

"You're a virgin?" Rainey asked incredulously and the younger elf turned to look at her with a death glare. Did she have to say it so loudly? "A virgin and a slave? What a sad life! Slavery is one thing…but virginity is too heavy a cross to bear! You," she pointed determinedly at her new charge with an air of duty. "Will be my apprentice. I shall teach you to enjoy life. The way it was meant to be enjoyed!"

"I would like to see how you enjoy life sweet thing," The Rivaini woman said as she stood and readjusted her clothes so that they were minutely more modest."My name is Isabella…"

"We should be on our way," Duncan cut in, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was enjoying the scene that had been laid out before him.

"We?" Jack asked. Gwenhwyfar had hoped that he would understand, but there was hurt in his dark eyes. "You're all leaving? Or…"

"No. You're not going anywhere," Max told her flatly. I knew by now that the hum of electricity in the air meant he was angry and I usually wouldn't cross him, but it was my life we were talking about after all.

"I thought I told you that you can't tell me what to do anymore," Was the taut response Max received. He was completely taken aback. She owed him. Her life would be forfeit if he wasn't there to protect her and yet she dared to defy her in front of all of these people?

"I'm only looking out for what's best for you." He looked down at the floor as he said it, knowing that looking at her would only hasten the magic his anger produced. "After all I've done for you, you should show me more respect than this."

It was too much to be borne; Gwenhwyfar let the lyrium course through her veins as her rage mounted. "My life is my own and I've decided to dedicate it to the Warden's cause."

As easily as he'd let himself get angry at his sister, Max knew it would be of no use to take this out on her here. He felt the negative energy wash out of him and he deflated a little. "Then I suppose I'll have to go with you." He told her, his defeat evident in his voice. "I've kept you alive these last four years; I refuse to let it all go to waste."

Gwenhwyfar could feel her triumph radiating from her face as the light from her markings died down. "Duncan. Rainey. This is my brother, Max." She introduced them, hoping that this little incident wouldn't keep them from all getting along. Whatever their problems were, Max was one of the only two people in the world that she truly trusted.

"Take some time to say your goodbyes," Duncan nodded gravely. "We'll be waiting outside."

"Well, I suppose I should have known I couldn't keep you forever." Jack said as he wrapped his young charge in his arms.

"This isn't a final goodbye, my friend." She said, not even able to convince herself. "I'm sure our paths will cross again someday."

"Ah, poppet." He shook his head condescendingly. "Gray Wardens aren't allowed to have lives of their own." She knew that, after all, it was Jack who'd told her those stories in the first place.

"But it doesn't mean…" She let her voice trail off, unable to bring herself to comfort either of them anymore.

"I'm glad you found something to do with your life, even if I would have liked for you to live it for yourself instead of these Wardens." His eyes were wet, but he refused to let tears stain the last moment he had with his little poppet.

"Thank you, Jack." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He was as close to a father as she'd ever had and it was hard to finally turn and walk away from him, but she managed to do it somehow. Max and Jack simply gave each other cursory nods before they walked out the door and into the bustling Denerim sunlight.


	3. Chapter 3

"Just how much farther do we have to go in precisely the wrong direction from where we're meant to be?" Rainey asked as she stopped in the middle of the road to cross her arms.

Gwenhwyfar didn't really see the point either. The missive they'd received at the gate of Denerim had said that the nobles they were supposed to be escorting were going to be travelling with a whole army after all. Why did the king think that they needed a man babysitting a bunch of elves would make the situation any better? Well… to be fair, he probably had no idea about the elves.

"Nobles need to feel loved in order to function properly." She said with a much too innocent look at Max, who just scowled at her.

"We seem to be about halfway there." Duncan told them as he surveyed the area. "I believe that we can get there in another week if we make good time." The last statement was directed at Rainey who was busy laughing at Max, but had a scowl of her own at the thought of having to trudge any farther.

"Well then, let's make the best time we can." The ginger muttered. "I'm eager to do something besides escort helpless nobles."

"The Couslands are far from helpless." Duncan informed her, turning to continue their trek north. "In fact, I've heard good things about their youngest son. I have hopes that he might be able to join us."

"Are there any good stories about these Couslands then?" Gwenhwyfar asked, hoping to turn the conversation in a more positive direction.

Duncan obliged and we spent the rest of the day listening to how the Teryn's ancestors had defied their king and saved their country. Gwenhwyfar loved stories like that; having been a slave should have been enough to understand how standing up to one's master could mean freedom for your people, but the sad truth was that most of her countrymen were either too meek to break their bonds or still didn't realize just how bad they really had it. But she let the story warm her heart as night set in and they gathered around the single fire they'd made.

'One day, perhaps.' She thought as her eyes slid shut. One day her people could find their way to freedom.

Duncan was almost right; they'd made excellent time and got there in only four days. The town around the estate verged on becoming a full blown city and there were people lining the streets to watch us once the word got out that there were Grey Wardens wandering among them.

"It's like we're in a parade." Gwenhwyfar breathed and ducked behind Max as he smiled at a group of pretty girls, making them swoon.

"Aw, cheer up mea soror dulci." He grinned down at her. "Look at Rainey; she seems to be taking it in stride." It was true, Rainey was walking in step with Duncan with her head held high, but the younger elf could see the discomfort in her eyes.

They were greeted graciously at the gates of the estate. The Teryn had not come himself, but his seneschal was very warm and welcoming in his absence.

The courtyard was not like any that Gwenhwyfar had ever seen. Most of the nobles in Orlais insisted on having every inch of their estate gleaming with the most expensive and most lavish décor they could afford; this Ferelden garden was almost stark in comparison, but it certainly did not lack any of the warmth its Orlesian counterparts tried so hard to convey.

The great hall was no different; the walls were naked grey stone with a minimum of tapestries and portraits lining them, but the floor was covered in sweet smelling clean rushes and there was a huge fire burning on the far wall bringing the entire hall to life with its warmth.

"Duncan!" A man who must have been the Teryn greeted the Warden Commander. "This is a surprise! I am sorry I could not greet you before, but we had such little notice of your coming."

"I understand, my lord. The king's request was late in coming and I didn't expect to make the journey so quickly." Duncan apologized.

The Teryn seemed to be a decent man, much more personable than any of the nobles Gwenhwyfar had robbed in the past, not that she planned on stealing from him or anything. She watched him as he spoke to them without really paying attention to what he said, there was something oddly familiar about him that she couldn't quite place and a glance at Max told her that he saw it too.

The thought became so oppressive that she started to look around the room in an attempt to ignore it. Another man walked in to stand by their host, introducing himself as Arl Howe, the steward of Amaranthine. Gwenhwyfar barely heard him; her eyes had fallen on a small portrait in a dark corner of the room.

She found herself wandering over to it, her mouth agape and her hands clutching at the front of her cloak. The lady in the portrait was young and delicate with long wavy raven black hair framing her elegantly angular face. She could barely see it, but the points of her distinctly elven ears were peeking out from her jet colored tresses.

The room had fallen silent and she turned to find that everyone was looking at her. "Why do you have a portrait of our mother here?" She didn't mean to accuse, but her voice had come out harsher than she'd intended.

"Our what?" Max nearly ran over to where his sister was standing, leaning in to examine at the portrait closely before looking between her and the Teryn incredulously. "You couldn't possibly be…"

Gwenhwyfar looked at him, confused at his odd choice of words and the strange look on his face. He almost looked like he was accusing her of something but she could not for the life of her figure out what it was.

The Teryn's face had gone ashen white as he looked from the little elf in front of him to the portrait hanging behind her. "Impossible." Was all he said as he ran his hand over his mouth.

"What is impossible?" Gwenhwyfar asked a little too loudly, her words ringing off of the walls and back into her face.

"Cassia." Teryn Cousland muttered softly.

"Cassia Atellus, sister to Cnaeus, member of the High Council; is this the woman you're thinking of?" Max elaborated with a flair that he'd usually kept hidden since his self exile. His eyes were burning with all of the passion of a magister of his previous position as he spoke of his family's status.

"I… yes, Atellus… I believe she had mentioned that before, and with quite the fervor you hold for it as well." The Teryn answered almost absently as he continued to stare at Gwenhwyfar. "You have her eyes."

"And your smile." Max said coldly. "How fortuitous that you will finally get to see it."

"I… I still don't…" The realization had come to her, but it was too much. She couldn't quite put her mind around it. It seemed a little too convenient that she would just happen to wander into her long lost father's…large noble estate… it was just too much. "I need to breathe."

She ran out of the hall and around corner after corner, finding herself completely lost in the shadows of a tiny alleyway. Forcing her breathing back into a normal rhythm, she sank down to the cold stone ground and wrapped her arms around her legs. It could have only been moments, or hours since she'd run away, but she knew it was time to face this. Who knew, it could actually turn out to be a good thing. Hah! She laughed to herself. Sooner or later the rug would be pulled out from under her feet; the way it always was.

She was about to stand when she heard the rough vulgar voices coming from just around the corner.

"When the 'ell are the Teryn's men supposed to leave? All this waitin' is makin' me itch."

"Keep yer voice down, you lout!" A second man hissed. "We ain't gonna move on 'em till tonight no how. Keep yer small clothes on and just enjoy the quality ale they've been feeding us all day."

"Yeah. Alright. But what if they don't move?" The first man asked in an annoyed whisper. "Say we thinks they've gone and we attack? The shit's in our face then, ain't it? I just don't like it."

"Shh!" There was a soft thud of the second man cuffing his companion. "I done told you to shut it."

The two men walked past and Gwenhwyfar noted the walking bear on their shields and remembered seeing Arl Howe with a similar crest. The Arl's men were obviously planning for some kind of attack tonight, but would they really be so foolish to do so with a Gray Warden as a witness? She needed to talk to Duncan immediately; and she should warn…her father… if that was indeed what the Teryn even was.

As soon as she could be sure that the soldiers hadn't seen her, she stepped out of the shadows and turned helplessly in circles; she hadn't been paying attention when she ran away and she was helplessly lost now. She did the only thing she could do, wander around until someone noticed her enough to point her in the right direction. It didn't take long; a young man with fiery red hair and a shy but friendly smile was already looking for her.

"You must be Gwenhwyfar." He said, offering a shallow bow. "I'm Ser Gilmore; the Teryn sent me to find you."

"Thank the Maker!" She smiled back. "I really should learn to watch where I'm going." It was the first time that she'd actually been lost in years, Jack had taught her better than that; but it was probably better if she just played the part of the dumb elf for the time being.

"Please follow me then." He turned and she did follow.

It was only a moment later when another human man joined them; he was dressed in a full leather kit, expensively pressed with smooth intricate engravings and studded in silver. This must be the Teryn's son that Duncan had mentioned, or one of them, she had no idea how many sons the Teryn actually had.

"I see you've found her, Gilmore." He observed jovially before letting out a sharp breath. "Maker, she does look a lot like us, doesn't she? Not the hair obviously, or the eyes, but I dare say you have our chin and the Cousland mouth…mother is always going on about the mouth… that may not be what she means, but you know what I'm saying."

She knew exactly what he was saying. His rambling gave her ample time to look him over and while his mouth never stopped moving she could see that they shared the same kind of wide-set lips that almost looked like they never stopped smiling and even though her features were softened versions of a distinctly elven face there were other similarities that would probably be easy for anyone to notice.

"We should probably get you back to father; he is having an absolute row right now!" He seemed to be more excited about the fact than upset. "I don't believe I've ever seen him look so… he isn't angry exactly or upset, but you certainly have put him in a spot!" He grinned at her in a familiar way that made her feel like they were already family. "I'm Aiden, by the way."

"Gwenhwyfar." She said quietly, knowing that he probably already knew that.

"Right." He took her hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow. "It is very good to meet you, Gwenhwyfar. Let us go meet this adventure head on, shall we?" He never stopped smiling at her; it was almost as if she were some fabulous new toy and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, but he sounded sincere and treated her like a person, a real person and not some social outcast or a pet and she could already tell that she was going to like him.

He led her expertly back to the great hall where the only people left were Duncan, the Teryn, a few people Gwenhwyfar presumed were from his court and her brother Max.

"I have found her for you, father." Aiden announced triumphantly.

She could feel Max's eyes boring into her even though she refused to look directly at him; she knew that he was livid. Who her father was had always been a mystery; she had always assumed that he was some handsome charlatan who her mother hadn't had the willpower to resist, but Max had made up stories for her about brave knights or charming kings who had stolen their mother's heart; it seemed that those tales had been for her benefit and he'd never really thought nor wished for them to be true.

The Teryn, who had been pacing when they walked into the hall, turned to look at her once more; stepping close to examine her carefully. "How old are you?" He asked in an almost clinical tone.

"S-seventeen." She stammered, feeling like cattle being sold off at auction.

"Maker." He breathed, letting his shoulders slump a little. "I really don't see how I can deny it."

Gwenhwyfar could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She hadn't asked for this, hadn't expected it; there was really no reason for her to feel so disappointed at the defeat in the older man's face. She had gone her entire life without a father; there was no use in crying over losing one now. "But you could." She told him, not letting her true feelings reach her voice. "No one would blame you for not claiming an elf as your daughter."

The whole room went silent. There was a buzz of nervous electricity as everyone waited for the Teryn to respond.

Duncan was looking at her with an expression she could only akin to respect, but she couldn't figure out why.

Max was seething, which was even more inexplicable than the look on the Warden Commander's face; why would he be _more_ mad at her? She was sure her response would have pleased him.

The small cluster from the Teryn's court all looked positively smug, as if they had somehow ratted out some horrid detail from her life and thrown it in her face to make her reach that conclusion.

Aiden looked furious. "No!" He stepped in beside his father and glared at her. "You can't just do that! Father, you can't let her do that!"

"I can't make her decide to want us, Aiden." The Teryn looked exhausted, as if all of this had been a terribly long ordeal that had not ended in his favor. "Only she can do that, pup."

"I-I'm sorry if I've offended." Gwenhwyfar stumbled over her words again. She was confused; did this man want her or not? "I only… I thought… aren't you happy with what I said?"

"I am not a man who would run from the consequences of his actions." Was his stoic reply. That didn't tell her anything at all… well it told her that he would take her out of sheer responsibility, but she was an albatross around one neck already; Maker forbid that she should make that mistake again.

"I just… no…I couldn't." She stammered. "This can be one mistake you don't have to pay for." She strode over to Duncan and stood beside him, ready to move out when he made the order.

"But…" Aiden began again and his father put a hand on his shoulder to quiet him.

"There will be plenty of time to discuss this later; right now you need to go find your brother and tell him to get ready to move out."

"I thought we were going to wait for the rest of the Arl's men to arrive." The young nobleman sounded indignant.

"They were delayed." The Teryn shook his head. "Bad weather, I believe he said. At any rate…"

"Wait." Gwenhwyfar blurted out as their words sank in. They turned to look at her and she wished she hadn't redirected the attention back to herself. "Th-there may be… I mean… I overheard…" She stumbled over her words as she became very aware that the Teryn's court was staring down their noses at her. "I…could we speak somewhere… less full of people…"

"I knew she would try and take advantage of this 'situation', my lord." One of the gray haired men in the entourage drawled, making Gwenhwyfar's ears go pink.

Teryn Cousland shot him a glare that must have been out of character because the entire group shrank into each other before he softly asked her to follow him and held the door open for her. Aiden followed closely behind her and Duncan fell into an easy step behind our host. They were shown into an office that was decorated in dark mahogany and rich burgundy rugs and tapestries embellished with gold.

"What did you overhear?" Duncan asked gently as he closed the door behind him.

"I was in an alleyway and…and… two of the Arl's men walked by," She looked at their intense faces, and drew in a breath to steady herself; it didn't work, but she continued anyway. "They said they were waiting for you to send your men away to Ostagar so that they could attack." The rest came out in a rush.

"Why would Arl Howe attack us?" Aiden asked, looking to his father for answers.

"You've met him; he's never hidden his ambition, but this…" The older Cousland answered, raking his fingers through his silvery hair. "Are you sure you heard them correctly?" He turned back to the little elf who was taking everything in uncertainly.

She nodded. "One of them seemed worried that you weren't going to send your men away in time for their attack to be successful."

The door opened and another man strode in. "Father! It can't be true, what they are all saying; can it? Mother is in a state..." His eyes caught on the girl in the corner and he drew in a sharp breath. "Maker." He hissed.

"Don't worry Fergus; she's decided she doesn't want anything to do with us." Aiden said sardonically. "Isn't that right, sister dear?"

She couldn't help but laugh. Everything about the younger Cousland's sarcastic jest reminded her of Max, right down to the same mocking endearments he used to try to calm her down. The only difference was that this _human_ actually seemed to want her; wanted her to be a part of his life, his family. Even captain Jack had kept her at arm's length most of the time. After a lifetime of polite distance, she really didn't know what to do with being held in such warm esteem; he was actually mad that _she_ had slighted _them_. Unheard of!

"What do you mean 'she doesn't want anything to do with us'? What did she even come here for?" Fergus looked her over with condescending disbelief.

"I am here as a Grey Warden recruit." She let her chin lift a little higher, what could she even do with what they must have would be an honor in the extreme for her? Even if they would accept her, she was still an elf… a slave; no one else would be so forgiving.

"I see." Fergus turned back to his father. "The troops are ready to move out, but I can't leave the family like this. Father, if you had seen mother's face when she heard…"

"This," Teryn Cousland shot Gwenhwyfar another tired glance. "Is the least of our problems. What have you heard from the Arl's men? Are they sending their reinforcements?"

"They are supposed to be here within the week. Why?" Fergus asked, unused to being cast aside so easily, but still smart enough to be obedient.

"I have begun to question my old friend's motives." The older man said warily.

"My lord, if I may?" Duncan stepped away from the wall he'd been leaning on and moved in closer to the three men. "I believe I have a plan that will allow you to see if the Arl really deserves to be called your 'friend'."

The men huddled around the large desk as they drew out their strategies while Gwenhwyfar stayed where she was by the door, hoping they wouldn't notice if she slipped out. She had done her duty and warned them, her presence was no longer needed, and it seemed, no longer desired.

She had inched her way to the exit and had her hand on the knob when Aiden caught her eye, waving her over. She shook her head violently, but he made his way over to her and dragged her into the circle by the arm. She scowled at him and he smirked at her with a wink. Damn it, it seemed brothers were infuriating in every form.


End file.
